Martha Rivers Ingram

Template:Short description Template:Infobox person Martha Robinson Rivers Ingram (born August 20, 1935) is an American billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist. In 1995, Ingram succeeded her late husband as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Ingram Industries, one of America's largest privately held companies. She is the co-author of three books, including two biographies and a history of the performing arts in Nashville, Tennessee.

Early life

Martha Robinson Rivers was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of John Minott Rivers and Martha Elizabeth Robinson. She was educated at Ashley Hall in Charleston. She graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1957.<ref name="bloombergbusiness">Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Upon graduation, she found employment at WCSC-AM/FM and WCSC-TV, a radio and television station, respectively, owned by her father.<ref name="bloombergbusiness"/>

Ingram was appointed by her husband as director of public affairs at Ingram Industries in 1979.<ref name="bloombergbusiness"/> After her husband's death in 1995, she became chairman and CEO.<ref name="bloombergbusiness"/>

Ingram is the co-author of three books. Her first book was a biography of her husband published in 2001, six years after his death.<ref name="tennesseaningramreleasingbook">Template:Cite news</ref> In her second book, published in 2004, Ingram wrote about the performing arts scene in Nashville during the Antebellum era.<ref name="tennesseaningramuncovers">Template:Cite news</ref> She argued that it was destroyed by the American Civil War and that it never fully recovered.<ref name="tennesseaningramuncovers"/> Her third book, published in 2006, was a biography of Kenneth Schermerhorn, the music director of the Nashville Symphony.

Philanthropy

File:IngramCenter.jpg

The Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts.

Ingram was a co-founder of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center which opened in 2005.<ref name="VUBOT"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Trust of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The Vanderbilt Blair School of Music has been the recipient of $300 million of Ingram company stock.<ref name="FOP"/><ref name="BL">Martha Rivers Ingram Awarded for Philanthropy in The Arts. Brentwood Life, accessed December 29, 2010.</ref>

Ingram was named in Business Week as the 50th most generous philanthropist, for her donations from 2000 to 2004.<ref name="FOP">Martha Ingram's philanthropy page. Faces of Philanthropy, accessed December 29, 2010. [1]</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2006 she was honored by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee as the 2006 recipient of the 13th Annual Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award for her philanthropic efforts.<ref name="FOP"/><ref>Nashville Philanthropist Martha Ingram Named 13th Annual Joe Kraft Award Recipient Template:Webarchive. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, accessed on December 29, 2010.</ref> She received the Eli & Edythe Broad Award for Philanthropy in the Arts.<ref name="VUBOT" />

Ingram was a member of the Junior League of Nashville, TN, even served on the board of Trustees when it opened the Juniorn League Convalescent Home in the Children's Regional Medical Center at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in 1972. She was also the recipient of the Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award of Junior League International, Inc. in 1999.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards and honors

• 1999, South Carolina Business Hall of Fame<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 1999, Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 1999, Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award of Junior League International, Inc.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2004, Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Naomi Judd<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2017, Music City Walk of Fame<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Personal life

On October 4, 1958, she married E. Bronson Ingram II (1931–1995) at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.<ref name="bloombergbusiness"/><ref name="VUBOT">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her husband was the son of business magnate Orrin Henry Ingram, Sr., grandson of Erskine B. Ingram, and great-grandson of Orrin Henry Ingram. They had three sons and a daughter:<ref name="bloombergbusiness"/>

• Orrin H. Ingram II (born 1960), the CEO of Ingram Industries and the chairman of Ingram Barge Company.
• John R. Ingram (born Template:Circa), the chairman of the Ingram Content Group, Lightning Source, and Ingram Industries.
• David Bronson Ingram (born Template:Circa), the chairman and president of Ingram Entertainment.<ref name="Hawn1999">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Robin Ingram Patton.<ref name="vanderbilt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Political activity

In 2015, Ingram donated to Democratic candidate Megan Barry's campaign to become the new Mayor of Nashville.<ref name="businessnewsdonors">Template:Cite news</ref>

Works

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